"The Way conceives them.
Integrity receives them.
Matter allows them.
Nature endows them.
All creatures thus respect the Way
and honor its Integrity.
No one demands that this be so.
Their respect by nature ever flows.
The Way gives birth to them and nurtures them.
It shapes them, develops them,
shelters them, strengthens them,
sustains them, preserves them.
Creating, not claiming as one's own,
working, not waiting for return,
guiding, not seeking to control:
such is the wonder of integrity."
- Translated by
Douglas Allchin,
Chapter 51

"The Way produces all things.
Power nourishes them.
Matter gives them physical form.
Environment shapes their abilities.
Therefore all things respect the Way and honor power.
The Way is respected, and power is honored
without anyone's order and always naturally.
Therefore the Way produces all things,
and power nourishes them,
caring for them and developing them,
sheltering them and comforting them,
nurturing them and protecting them,
producing them but not possessing them,
helping them but not obligating them,
guiding them but not controlling them.
This is mystical power."
- Translated by
Sanderson Beck,
Chapter 51

"Ten thousand Dao begets and breeds,
Which its power tends and feeds
As objects all take varied shape,
As things to use reach final form.
For this the natural myriad
Honour the Way, esteem its power.
Such honour and such high esteem
No mandate from above decreed;
It is their norm of self-becoming.
Dao indeed begets and breeds
All its power tends and feeds
And fosters and then raises up
And brings to full maturity
And still preserves and still protects.
For Dao begets but does not keep,
Works its way but does not bind:
Authority that does not rule.
Such is the meaning of “hidden power”."
- Translated by
Moss Roberts,
Chapter 51

"Tao brings all the creatures of the world to be born
And by following the way they come to fill their nature
Thus do they follow the tao and honor virtue
No one asks them to; they do it without thinking
It creates them but doesn't own them
It supplies them but doesn't make them dependent
It matures them but doesn't command them
This is the ideal of virtue."
- Translated by
Ted Wrigley,
Chapter 51

"A guide starts it,
virtuosity cultivates it,
Natural kinds model it
and circumstances complete it.
For this reason, among the ten-thousand natural kinds,
None fail to respect a guide and value virtuosity.
This respecting of guides
and valuing of virtuosity
is not, in general, commanded in words instead it treats self-so as constant.
Hence a guide starts it,
virtuosity cultivates it,
Acts as its elder, educates it,
shades it, poisons it,
nourishes it and returns it.
Gives rise to and not 'exist,'
Deem: act and not rely on anything.
Acts as elder and does not rule.
This would be called 'profound virtuosity.'"
- Translated by
Chad Hansen,
Chapter 51

"Tao creates all things,
Virtue nurtures them.
Matter gives them forms, and
Environment allows them to succeed.
Thus all things honour Tao and value Virtue.
Tao being honoured and Virtue being valued,
They always occurred naturally without being dictated by anyone.
Thus:
Tao creates all thing.
Virtue nurtures them:
They grow and develop;
Bear fruits and mature; and
Are cared for and protected.
To create, but not to possess;
To care for, but not to control;
To lead, but not to subjugate.
This is called the profound virtue."
- Translated by
Cheng, Chapter 51

The Way bears all things;
Harmony nurtures them;
Nature shapes them;
Use completes them.
Each follows the Way and honours harmony,
Not by law,
But by being.
The Way bears, nurtures, shapes, completes,
Shelters, comforts, and makes a home for them.
Bearing without possessing,
Nurturing without taming,
Shaping without forcing,
This is harmony.
- Translated by
Peter Merel,
Chapter 51

"Tao gives life to all creatures; teh feeds them;
materiality shapes them; energy completes them.
Therefore among all things there is none that does not honor Tao and esteem teh.
Honor for Tao and esteem for teh is never compelled, it is always spontaneous.
Therefore Tao gives life to them, but teh nurses them, raises them, nurtures,
completes, matures, rears, protects them.
Tao gives life to them but makes no claim of ownership; teh forms them but makes
no claim upon them, raises them but does not rule them.
This is profound vitality (teh)."
- Translated by
Dwight Goddard,
Chapter 51

"All things are produced by the Tao, and nourished by
its outflowing operation.
They receive their forms according to the nature of
each, and are completed according to the circumstances of their condition.
Therefore all things without exception honour the Tao, and exalt its outflowing
operation.
This honouring of the Tao and exalting of its operation is not the result of any
ordination, but always a spontaneous tribute.
Thus it is that the Tao produces (all things), nourishes them, brings them to
their full growth, nurses them, completes them, matures them, maintains them,
and overspreads them.
It produces them and makes no claim to the possession of them; it carries them
through their processes and does not vaunt its ability in doing so; it brings
them to maturity and exercises no control over them;--this is called its
mysterious operation."
- Translated by
James Legge,
Chapter 51

"Tao gives life to all things.
Virtue nourishes them.
Material world gives them form.
Circumstances make them complete.
Therefore of the myriad things,
Each one reveres Tao
And each one pays tribute to virtue.
They do so without being ordered.
They do so of themselves.
Tao gives life to them.
Virtue nourishes and matures them.
It teaches them and protects them.
It rests them, supports them and guards them.
Tao gives life to them but it does not possess them.
It toils for them but expects no praise.
It guides them but does not dominate them.
This is the secret virtue."
- Translated by
Agnieszka Solska,
Chapter 51

"Tao produces them (all things);
Virtue feeds them;
All of them appear in different forms;
Each is perfect by being given power.
Therefore none of the numerous things does not honour Tao and esteem virtue.
The honouring of Tao and the esteem of virtue are done, not by command, but always of their own accord.
Therefore Tao produces them, makes them grow, nourishes them, shelters them, brings them up and protects them.
When all things come into being, Tao does not reject them.
It produces them without holding possession of them.
It acts without depending upon them, and raises them without lording it over them.
When merits are accomplished, it does not lay claim to them.
Because it does not lay claim to them, therefore it does not lose them."
- Translated by
Ch'u Ta-Kao, 1904, Chapter 51

"Tao gives Life to all beings.
Teh nourishes them.
It gives to each being its form.
It gives the inward urge towards perfectness.
That is why there is no living creature that does not reverence Tao and honour Teh.
The veneration of Tao!
The honour of Teh!
No Master has decreed it,
But eternally it affirms the Self.
Therefore Tao gives Life to all beings,
It nourishes and makes them grow,
It rears them and perfects them,
It sustains, feeds, and protects them.
It gives them Life, but does not possess them.
It gives them activity, but does not depend o them.
It urges them to grow, but does not rule them.
This is called profound Teh."
- Translated by
Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 51

"Existence having
born themAnd fitness bred them,While matter varied their formsAnd
breath empowered them,All created things render, to the existence and
fitness they depend on,An obedienceNot commanded but of course.And
since this is the way existence bears issueAnd fitness raises,
attends,Shelters, feeds and protects,D0 you likewiseBe parent, not
possessor,Attendant, not master,Be concerned not with obedience but with
benefit,And you are at the core of living."
- Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 51

"The Tao gives birth to all of creation.
The virtue of Tao in nature nurtures them,
and their families give them their form.
Their environment then shapes them into completion.
That is why every creature honors the Tao and its virtue.

No one tells them to honor the Tao and its virtue,
it happens all by itself.
So the Tao gives them birth,
and its virtue cultivates them,
cares for them,
nurtures them,
gives them a place of refuge and peace,
helps them to grow and shelters them.

It gives them life without wanting to posses them,
and cares for them expecting nothing in return.
It is their master, but it does not seek to dominate them.
This is called the dark and mysterious virtue."
- Translated by
John H. McDonald, 1996, Chapter 51

"Tao brings forth and Teh nourishes.
All things take up their several forms, and natural forces bring them to perfection.
Therefore all things conspire to exalt Tao and to cherish virtue.
But this regard of Tao and Teh is not in deference to any mandate.
It is unconstrained, and therefore it endures forever.
For Tao produces all things, and Teh nourishes, increases, feeds, matures, protects, and watches over them.
To produce without possessing; to work without expecting; top enlarge without usurping; this is the absolute virtue!"
- Translated by Walter Gorn Old, 1904, Chapter 51

"Tao gives all things life
Te gives them fulfillment
Nature is what shapes them
Living is what brings them to completion
Every creature honours Tao and worships Te not by force but
through its own living and breathing
Though Tao gives life to all things
Te is what cultivates them
Te is that magic power which raises and rears them completes and
prepares them comforts and protects them
To create without owning
To give without expecting
To fill without claiming
This is the profound expression of Tao
The highest perfection of Te"
- Translated by
Jonathan Star, 2001, Chapter 51

Daodejing by Laozi: Chapters with Chinese characters, seal script,
detailed word by word concordance, Pinyin (tone#), German, French and English.
This is an outstanding resource for serious students of the Tao Te Ching.

Yellow Bridge
Dao De Jing Comparison Table Provides side by side comparisons of
translations of the Tao Te Ching by James Legge, D. T. Suzuki, and Dwight
Goddard. Chinese characters for each paragraph in the Chapter are on the
left; place your cursor over the Chinese characters to see the Hanyu Pinyin
(1982) Romanization of the Chinese character and a list of meanings.

Center Tao.
Includes a brief commentary on each Chapter. A keyword glossary for each
chapter is provided.

Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition
By Jonathan Star. Translation, commentary and research tools. New
York, Jeremy P. Tarcher, Penguin, 2001. Concordance, tables, appendices,
349 pages. A new rendition of the Tao Te Ching is provided, then a
verbatim translation with extensive notes. Detailed tables for each verse
provide line number, all the Chinese characters, Wade-Giles (1892) Romanization, and a list of meanings for each character. An excellent
print reference tool!

Two Visions of the Way: A Study of the Wang Pi and the Ho-Shang Kung Commentaries on the Lao-Tzu.
By Professor by Alan Kam-Leung Chan. SUNY Series in Chinese
Philosophy and Culture. State University of New York Press, 1991.
Index, bibliography, glossary, notes, 314 pages.
ISBN: 0791404560.

Chinese Reading of the Daodejing
Wang Bi's Commentary on the Laozi with Critical Text and Translation.
By Professor Rudolf G. Wagner. A SUNY Series in Chinese Philosophy and
Culture. English and Mandarin Chinese Edition.
State University of New York Press; Bilingual edition (October 2003). 540
pages. ISBN: 978-0791451823.
Wang Bi (Wang Pi, Fusi), 226-249 CE,
Commentary on the Tao Te
Ching.

Lao-tzu's Taoteching
Translated by Red Pine (Bill Porter). Includes many brief selected
commentaries for each Chapter draw from commentaries in the past
2,000 years. Provides a verbatim translation and shows the text in Chinese
characters. San Francisco, Mercury House, 1996, Second Edition, 184 pages.
An invaluable resource for commentaries.